


26 + 1 days of winter fluff

by myorangemilkboys



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Advent Calendar, Christmas Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, First Relationship, Fluff, I just want something wholesome after Romains crash, M/M, Possibly Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:53:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27825583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myorangemilkboys/pseuds/myorangemilkboys
Summary: 26 days until Christmas time will be over again. Follow some of my favourite pairings through this time of the year, with one additional surprise for New Year's Eve ;)
Relationships: Fernando Alonso/Mark Webber, George Russell/Lance Stroll, Lando Norris/Carlos Sainz Jr, Romain Grosjean/Marion Jollès
Comments: 8
Kudos: 73





	1. December 1st: Surprise gifts

**Author's Note:**

> I am done with all my exams for this semester. Just in time to try and find some time to write a little bit of fluff every day until Christmas.
> 
> Really hoping I can make the waiting time until Christmas a little easier for all of you :)

As soon as Lando has woken up he was already sitting up straight in the bed they both shared, completely ignoring Carlos still snoring peacefully until the Spaniard was woken up by Lando shaking his shoulder.

"Carlos! Carlos! Carlos!", he exclaimed, sounding more and more excited with each repetition of his lovers name.

The Spaniard could just groan before turning around and pulling his pillow over his head. Lando didn't accept this reaction though, and tried his best to pull the pillow away from Carlos. Carlos didn't like this plan at all, and just stopped complaining when Lando pressed a small kiss onto his temple. The groan turned into a happy humming once Lando moved his lips from Carlos' temple to his lips. They shared a few more kisses until Lando pulled away once he felt Carlos smiling into the kiss.

"What are you even so excited about?", asked Carlos who also just now opened his eyes, looking at his boyfriend with a wide smile on his lips. It really was a good start into the day like this. Kisses and Lando's smile always were indicators for a good morning. "Also, can I maybe have another kiss?"

Lando shook his head, jumping off of the bed now. "The kisses were just to wake you up anyway. I just want you to look at something I made!" He ran over to the closet where he has put an extra gift bag he brought to Bahrain with them. Up until now Carlos has not been allowed to look at it, not even open the closet door behind which it was hidden. He had expected it to be some Christmas gift for some of their team members, most of whom they wouldn't see again until the new year after the season finale.

It was just December 1st though, and they didn't even have any meeting planned with any team members, not even their physiotherapists have been making plans for the day. Whatever was in the bag must be for him then, and his curiosity was almost killing him already, when Lando handed the bag to him. Despite being woken up way too early for his liking, Carlos was wide awake now, opening the huge bow that kept the bag closed. It was not just the bow keeping it closed though, the amounts of tape Lando must have used to keep the bow in place must have been helping too.

After some fumbling and cursing Carlos had opened the bag though. He was not quite able to make out what was inside yet, but once he pulled it out of the bag it all made a little more sense to him. There was a long piece of thread in the gift bag, with a few little bags made out of fabric attached to them. They all had the numbers of 1 to 25 written on them, in Lando's messy handwriting.

"Oh Lando!!", Suddenly Carlos' voice cracked when he wrapped his arms around Lando, pulling him into a hug, "You really got me an advent calendar? And brought it here? Seriously?" Carlos looked at Lando again, pulling him into another kiss. Lando's cheeks were blushed once they separated again.

"I made it myself. And I mean we'll spend over half the time until Christmas on the road so why not? I hope you like it, I really tried my best with it"Lando was looking so innocent explaining this that Carlos couldn't help but to pull him into another hug. "I love it already, Lando. I love this gift and I love you"

Carlos started looking for the little bag with a "1" written on it, and pulled on the little bow that kept it closed. When he saw inside he saw a small chocolate heart and a little note. Pulling it out, the note read "I love you, and want to wake up next to you every day"

His eyes were starting to get watery while Lando stood beside him still looking down on him with this big smile on his face that he hasn't seen in what felt like an eternity. Carefully Carlos put it all back into the gift bag, which now was put back down next to the bed. Once Carlos knew that his gift was in a safe place he pulled Carlos back into the bed and on his lap.

Lando's arms were a little cold already, and the blankets they were laying under were warm and comfy. This still was a good excuse for Carlos to pull Lando closer to him, not letting go of him too soon. He slowly rubbed over Lando's arms, while the Brit was just laying on his chest with his eyes closed, snuggling closer, burying his face in Carlos T-Shirt.Together they were staying like this, none of them saying a word for a while while they were just enjoying each other's company. Carlos was already curious what would be hidden in the next bags of his advent calender. He could already see Lando spending all his free time he had carefully crafting this surprise for him, no matter how clumsy he might be with this kind of stuff. All the love that was put into this little calendar was basically radiating from it, and it warmed Carlos' heart.

Carefully he leaned down and pressed another kiss onto Lando's head, slowly stroking through his thick curls, which have grown back quite a lot since he decided to shave them off earlier in the year, shortly before they started dating properly, after half a season of just longing stares and flirting after last season's summer break. So much has changed in this year, but deep down Carlos knew that he could count on Lando and that he would continue to be there for him, the same way he was there for Lando, in case he needed someone to talk to.

This season has been one of the most stressful ones in his whole F1 career so far, and it was more than good that it was finally coming to a close now soon. With just 2 more races to go It was finally some more time for them both to enjoy some more quality time together. Even though they had just started another triple header it was a lot easier since they were staying in one place for two races. It gave them all some more time to sort everything out and relax a little.

Especially with Romain's huge crash they all had to witness just two days ago everyone's nerves were blank already, and more traveling would not have helped with it at all. But now they all have had some time to also talk to Romain personally, either just over the phone or just by visiting him in the hospital. It was a relief for everyone that Romain has made it out of this wreck with just minor injuries, considering the circumstances. Just thinking about this made him wrap his arms closer around Lando, who gave him a questioning look from his position on Carlos' chest.

Carlos let his hands roam through Lando's hair once more, and leaned down to place some more kisses on Lando's face.

"I just am very very happy that I can hold you in my arms right now, you know that, right?"

Lando nodded, before he crawled a bit higher under the blankets so that he could finally press another kiss onto Carlos' lips. Unlike with all the other times this morning this kiss was a lot more intense than the other's. For a moment Lando bit down on Carlos' bottom lip, before his tongue pushed past just a few moments later. This kiss was slow, but more intense than any other kiss they shared that day yet.

This was perfect, and all Carlos could wish for. Lando said he wanted to wake up next to him every day. And while this would not work for now, they were waking up together now, and it was the best gift Carlos could think of.


	2. December 2nd: Knitting and cursing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey I'm back for Day 2!  
> Also, what the heck has been going on in terms of news in the past two days? Lewis testing positive, George to Mercedes, and Mick Schumacher in Formula 1!  
> Really stressful to keep up with all the news, but they all are good to hear (except that Lewis got Covid, obviously)
> 
> I also wanted to say thank you to everyone leaving kudos and comments so far, I really appreciate them!!

"¡Mierda!", was all he heard from the living room, followed by even more Spanish cursing that he didn't want to translate anymore. He hurried over, worried that his lover might have hurt himself, but when he actually walked through the door all he could see was Fernando on his usual spot on the sofa.

He had the iPad placed on the small table in front of him and a pair of knitting needles in his hands, together with a tangled ball of yarn. Mark shook his head, smiling. He quickly made his way over to Fernando, who was now rewinding the tutorial he was looking at once again. Picking up the needles and yarn again, and trying to follow along another time. Just like the last time all Fernando got was a thick knot and another few Spanish curse words were heard.

"Hey, querido", he whispered, carefully taking the knitting needles from Fernando and placing them next to the iPad. "No need to get frustrated, okay?"

Mark let his hand stroke over Fernando's thigh, while he gave his little Spaniard a curious look. "What are you even doing there?"

Fernando sighed, burying his face in his hands. "I want to try and knit you a scarf because you always complain about being cold. But either I am dumb or this tutorial doesn't work. Trust me, I've tried often enough, but still no success.  Lo siento , Mark"

"Do you want me to take another look at it? We can try to start this together if you want to? Also I really love the idea of you knitting me a scarf, you know that, right?" Now Mark was the one rewinding the tutorial video with the iPad on his lap. He had his tongue sticking out between his teeth while he tried to focus on the needles on the screen. That first step to getting the first stitch on there really was looking tricky, and Mark could already understand the frustration Fernando must have felt.

"I mean I wanted to try some socks or a hat but look at me struggling with what essentially is just a giant rectangle" Fernando's voice sounded a little flat, as if someone had taken all emotion out of it. "I just want you to be warm and comfy in the cold is that too much to ask for?"

Before Fernando could start any kind of swearing again Mark forced him to shut up by pressing a small kiss on his lips. This small gesture must have made the Spaniard forget his extended knowledge on Spanish swearing, with all his attention focused on Mark, who now picked up the needles, giving them another questioning look. Meanwhile Fernando wrapped his arms around Mark's body, looking up to him while he tried to untangle the knot Fernando has put in the yarn during his last try to get any stitches on the needles. It took him a bit, but then he was left with the needles and yarn in front of him again, being about as confused as Fernando must have been.

"My mom used to knit when I was a kid. I don't remember any of that though. Not many needs for some knitted scarfs and socks in Australia anyway..." Mark still had most of his attention on the needles in front of him, and now it was him rewinding the tutorial again, asking Fernando to pause it after a few moments, following along as well as he could. It took another two tries for him to finally get the first stitch on his needles and have them staying there. Maybe he should really look for his reading glasses again. They must be pretty useful for knitting too.

Now he handed the needles back to Fernando, who immediately let the stitch slip off of the needle, and pulled on the yarn, so that it was gone.

Without even looking at the puzzled look on Mark's face he explained himself. "I want to do this on my own. It's still a present for you, I have to do it"

Mark couldn't help but smile when he looked down on Fernando who tried his best to copy Mark's movements while almost laying on his lap. More cursing followed until Mark has had enough of the frustration on his lover's face. He quickly put his arms around Fernando’s torso and pulled him into a more upright position. Then he placed his hands over Fernando's, wrapping the yarn around his own fingers too. With that he just did the same movement he did before - this time it was a lot easier than the previous time already - and just moments later they had another stitch on their needles. Fernando, now comfortably resting his back against Mark's chest, turned his head and smiled at the Australian, who kissed him on the cheek in return.

"How many do you need?", asked Mark, finally seeing more of the tutorial video than just the instruction for the first stitch. The other ones didn't even look half as complicated as the first one. Definitely a thing Mark was happy about. Fernando could do this, even if he might need a little support with the start.

Soon enough Fernando trusted himself to put the last stitches on the needles all by himself, before he could even start with the actual knitting. While Fernando took a look at the rest of the tutorial, Mark walked back into his office and grabbed his reading glasses and a book from the shelf. Maybe he should make some tea, but then he decided to first get his book and the glasses over to Fernando, so that he had both his hands free again. But when he returned to the living room, to his surprise he found it to be empty. Just behind Mark Fernando entered the room again, balancing a tray with tea and cookies, carefully placing it on the small table in front of the sofa.

"Simple minds thing alike, hm?", asked Mark before he sat down on the sofa again. Fernando nodded and cuddled up against Mark's chest immediately, even before he took up the knitting needles again. Mark could just shrug and take his favorite tea mug from the tray, taking a first sip.

Even after  all those years spent together it was still these little things he was looking forward to. Just cuddling a bit with Fernando, while they both were busy with their own projects was more than he could  wish for , especially now when the days were getting shorter again.

And while he tried his best to focus on the book in his hands, his gaze always wandered down to the Spaniard who kept trying his best with the knitting, his tongue sticking out between his teeth just the same way Mark was doing it when he  is focusing.  Next to no cursing was heard anymore, just Fernando asking Mark to be fed one of the cookies, while both his hands were busy with the knitting.

Mark happily complied, kissing the last few crumbs on Fernando’s cheek away, before shifting his focus back to the book that was waiting for him.


	3. December 3rd: Stress and Cocoa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay I'm back once again with Lando and Carlos.  
> I wanna give them some more airtime before shifting the focus a little :)

Together Lando and Carlos ran through the hallways of the hotel they were staying in for well over a week by now. Carlos' hair was still more than messy, he didn't have a lot of time this morning to at least attempt taming it, and even if he did, the little cuddling session after they both had brushed their teeth would have messed it all up again.

The time off they had after the last race just seemed to fly past, and it was already Thursday again. Time for the track walk, first meetings and - most importantly - the media sessions. All hell seemed to have been broken lose on Tuesday, with Lewis getting his positive Covid-Test back, and everyone speculating about whom would be the one replacing him. At least the news about George replacing Lewis would probably take some focus off of them during the press conferences. And beside that, there were not so many questions to be expected. There were just two more races to go this year, and despite that both the constructors and drivers championship were still more than close.

While the team has built a small gap over Racing Point and Renault in the Constructors championship, it was just a single point separating Lando and Carlos in the Drivers' battle, while Alex had the same amount of points as Lando too. The battle was heating up, and while this should be a reason for things getting a bit more complicated between them, this was just not the case. They even got along better than they did before, but maybe this was also because of the little advent calendar Lando has made for him.

When Carlos opened it this morning it contained another chocolate heart and another note. "I love you, and I can't wait to kiss you goodnight today"

It was just such a little thing, but these few words were all Carlos needed to find the strength to make it through this media session. Most of them asked similar questions as they did on Sunday evening. Not much has changed in these few days, and yet they had to answer the same questions over and over again.

Yes they were hoping for another good result this weekend.

No, Ferrari's current pace didn't make Carlos regret his move. Yes, he is looking forward to working with the team.

Yes, they have talked to Romain and are glad that he is okay. No, this won't stop them from climbing back into their cars the next day and giving it all on track.

Carlos would have loved to just take Lando's hand now, and just be a little closer to him, but it was not possible, with them sitting so far apart and also every camera looking at them it might not be the wisest choice. The little glances passing between them were enough to be talking without words though, and it was not too much longer until they were done with answering questions and it was the next team's turn to answer.

  
  


After the press conference though, they did not have any time for each other anymore until the late afternoon. While Lando has been on a run with his physiotherapist Carlos had another interview with Spanish media scheduled. And once Lando was back in the team facilities and has taken a shower he had to leave again. If Carlos understood correctly, this was about some kind of emergency with George who apparently needed some advice immediately, or at least that's what Lando has said.

He was just back in time for the track walk though, but not even there they had much time or space to themselves. No chance to talk about anything private, anything their mind was really focusing on. Sure, getting to know this track was important, but in the end it was not the thing Carlos wanted to spend all his energy on. Both him and Lando did their fair share of laps in the simulator already, and that would provide more than enough experience to get a feel for this track. In the end you couldn't remember all the braking points and curbs to avoid after looking at them here anyway, they would figure this all out during the free practice sessions tomorrow, that was for sure.

The sun was already setting when they finally were back in their facilities. Thank God that this would also mean the end of their work day, at least if there were no more problems coming up now that needed to be solved. Then it would just be another Covid test before they were allowed to leave the track and get back to their hotel room. And despite it being just a few hours in which Carlos hasn't been close to Lando, he already missed the feeling of the other man's warm skin under his fingertips.

Their tests were just scheduled in about 45 minutes though, and they finally had a little bit of time to kill. No one in the team batted an eye anymore when Carlos completely ignored his own driver's room and went over to Lando's. They have done this more often than not, and in the end they both had nothing to hide from each other anyway. While Carlos was busy texting his sister, Lando seemed to be drowning in pieces of paper, which he had spread out all over the floor of the small room.

More and more frustrated noises were heard from him, so Carlos knelt down on the floor next to Lando, giving the notes another proper look. It was the telemetry of both their qualifying and race laps from the previous race. Without much thinking Carlos' hand wandered to Lando's neck, his thumb tracing small circles over the soft skin. Lando immediately melted into the touch, leaning a bit into it like a small cat.

"You know that we drive on a different layout this weekend, right?" Carlos voice was soft, and Lando looked up at him with big eyes.

"I do know, but still. I mean the first and third sector are gonna be pretty similar, and with all those mistakes in the first sector last week I thought I should look over it once more. I don't want to make any mistakes. I mean, it would be a disgrace to let you finish higher than me in the championship, right?" While Lando really seemed to be doubting himself just a few moments ago the teasing tone of that last sentence was a surprise for Carlos. But it was a happy one, that was sure.

"Lando, come here..." Carlos pulled the young Brit into a hug. That made them lose their balance though, and in the end they both ended up laying on the floor, still Carlos had his arms wrapped around Lando. After the laughter had died down Carlos got back on his feet, pulling Lando back up too. Then he started to pick up the telemetry data sheets and placed them all on the small desk in the corner, before sitting down on the sofa again, next to Lando this time. "We have all the time in the world to figure out the new track tomorrow, right? So we don't stress over all of this just yet. Promise?"

Lando gave Carlos another nod, and then leaned his head against the Spaniard's shoulder, closing his eyes for just one moment.

Even if their job was stressful sometimes, Lando knew that he always had Carlos as a friend he could come to, even if they both had their own things to worry about.

  
  


While Lando wasn't paying attention to him, Carlos sent Tom a message. The response he got was positive and indeed, just a few minutes later Tom walked into their room, carrying two mugs in his hands. They were filled with Cocoa, and Tom even had found the time to add a bit of whipped cream on top, exactly like Carlos had imagined it.

As soon as the soft chocolate scent filled the room Lando opened his eyes, after almost drifting off into sleep more than one time. Carlos smiled when Lando reached for one of the mugs Tom had placed on the table and took a sip, leaving a small whipped cream mustache on his face.

Considering the temperatures outside it was not really meant to be the weather for hot drinks, but it was December, so official winter and Christmas time. And in addition to that, there was no better thing to have than some Cocoa, especially when you had to pass some waiting time for yet another Covid test. Lewis has been a prime example that you never could be careful enough. Enough of an argument for Carlos to once again feel like someone wants to stab his brain, but at least it was all for a good reason.

Lando was still cuddled up against him with his eyes closed, and Carlos pressed another kiss onto Carlos' hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And yeah apparently I have a thing for my favorites to cuddle with hot drinks. Maybe this is a sign that i need some Tea and a hug myself? Who knows?


	4. December 4th: Video Calls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here I am again, providing another snippet with some kind of fluffy feel, this time with Romain and Marion.  
> It really fills me with so much joy to see the progress Romain is having right now, already back in the gym.
> 
> Also George P1 in both practice sessions has been really awesome, I must admit that.

Ever since Marion has landed here in Bahrain Romain finally felt a bit more like himself again, a bit more calm and rational thinking. Sure, sometimes he still struggled with his own thoughts, but just knowing that Marion was there for him if he needed her immediately took a lot of anxiety of his back. He could finally breathe again, and also knowing that she could see that he was fine herself was a huge relief for her, he had to admit. It felt so good to finally hug her again and have her this close, breathing in her scent, hearing her laugh, and seeing her smile. It all also grounded him in some way, and reminded him of the reason why he was able to pull himself out of that burning wreck.

She has brought cookies, which she made with the children right before the race. They have been able to finish decorating all of them on Monday and Tuesday, before Marion has packed her bags to fly to Bahrain.

Since she has finally landed in Bahrain they both have been going through a whole roller coaster of emotions, just swinging back and forth between laughing and crying, anxiety and appreciation for the other. It all was so intense, way more than it was before. Maybe because now they realized once again how fast all of this could be over if just one little thing went wrong. This all has been incredibly hard for all of them, and this was far from done.

Romain has already scheduled another few sessions with his therapist again, to try and make sure this accident would not leave any more scars than the ones on his hands. Should he arrange something for Simon and Sacha too? They both have also seen it all live on TV, and Romain was sure that this would have consequences for them, no matter how much talking they did at home, he wanted to have a professional opinion on the matter as soon as possible. Something he could also talk about with his therapist and ask her about. They had a first session scheduled over the phone in a few days, and would try to meet in person once he was back home if the covid guidelines allowed it.

But now he really wanted to talk to Sacha, Simon and Camille himself. Marion was still out, catching up with some of his doctors, and also maybe meeting some of his team members by the track. It would just be understandable if she took a bit longer, especially since he himself ended his gym session a bit earlier than he had planned to. He had extra breaks scheduled in case his hands needed some rest, but to his surprise it has been going very smooth so far. He had another change of bandages scheduled for the next day, and depending on how his hands were looking by then, they could switch to something lighter and easier to use in everyday life.

His left hand was still fully wrapped up in a thick white bandage, while his right hand was doing a lot better already. Still far from as good as new, but the progress he has made up until now has been amazing, he must admit.

It took some time for him to fumble his phone out of his backpack with the bandaged hands, but it was not to hard. After a bit of fiddling he finally had it in his hands. He really was glad that he had it set up with face ID some time ago, because getting the phone to read his finger print would have been a little difficult maybe. Just maybe.

With the help of the voice assistance he finally managed to call his own parents via video call. It seemed to be taking an eternity for a connection to build up and for someone to answer the call, but soon enough he saw his father's face on the small screen in front of him. They have been regularly calling for a few minutes every day since the crash, but this time was the first time they actually saw each other again, even if it just was on a phone screen, it still made Romain incredibly happy. Within seconds both Romain's mother and the kids were called to come downstairs and they all seemed to be sitting down in the living room now, with the Christmas tree already set up in the background. Sacha and Simon were halfway laying across their grandpa, who also had Camille on his lap, while his wife stood behind them.

It felt like Romain's heart was crushed under a whole truck to see them together like this. It felt like he hasn't seen them for an eternity. All he wanted was to go and hug them. But well, distance was kind of an issue there. And yet just the way his kids were looking up to him and smiling really made his heart melt. If it wasn't for them he might not have tried anymore.

After the first greetings though Sacha got up and ran out of the room together with Simon. Romain was catching up with his parents for a bit now, and made some silly faces for Camille, who giggled and also said hello to her father via the call. It was not long until the two boys came running back into the room, carrying a huge piece of paper with them. Once they were back in front of the camera Sacha opened it and Romain was looking at a drawing of some more cars on a race track.

"Simon drew this with me", explained Sacha, and pointed on one of the cars in the drawing. "Look, this is Kevin's car, and there are Kimi and Sebastian!"

With a closer look Romain could follow along with the explanations the two boys gave him, up until they pointed towards the podium they drew in the background. There stood barely more than a stick figure, with a suit on that kind of resembled the one he was wearing with Haas.

"And look, this is you! Because the people liked you the most!", Sacha looked very proud right now, and Romain had a hard time to keep the tears out of his eyes. His drawn counterpart also had a cape wrapped around his neck, with some pink hearts drawn on it.

"I made the love cape", Simon announced, and it once again almost made him tear up. This love cape has protected him, Simon's superhero daddy. Or at least that was what Simon has been telling everyone he saw since Monday.

And they both drew him on the top step on the podium. Sure, it was just the driver of the day award but they were right. In that very moment a lot of people have shown him his appreciation with this title. Even though this title didn't mean a lot in terms of racing, it has been another factor to push him to go further with his recovery. He really wanted to try to go to the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi. One of the reasons why he didn't fly home yet but stayed in Bahrain. All the fans seemed to be so eager to get him back in the car and see him racing again, it really made him appreciate them a bit more. Sure, the occasional hater was still found on his social media pages, but in general he has been flooded with messages of love and support from both his fellow drivers and fans. It really made him more than happy to see the passion with which they were following him, hoping for a speedy recovery. He wanted to give them all of that, and even more. Because without all the support he got from fans in the past few years his racing career would have looked a lot different, Romain had to admit that.

There was nothing more whole to him now than seeing this drawing in his sons arms. They were smiling so proudly, and Romain was proud of them too. There was nothing better than just seeing his happy family and coming back home to them in just a few days. If everything goes well he will be back home in just ten days. Definitely something to look forward too, he thought.

"We are going to hang this up on the fridge together when mom and I are back home, okay?", asked Romain, which was met by cheering from the other side of the phone.

In the small smartphone screen Romain could see Marion coming back into their hotel room and softly closing the door behind herself, before walking over to Romain, who sat on the bed. He turned around to give her a kiss, before turning the phone screen once she sat behind him, so that the other half of his family could see her too.

Romain really wanted to be back at home as soon as he could, but he also had a job to finish here. He wanted to get back in this car, and wanted to drive one last race in Formula 1, even if he didn't make it in time to drive in this weekend's race. But judging by the way his heart was still beating faster when he came close to the circuit it was maybe better this way, if he didn't drive on this track again, or at least not yet.

Marion had her head resting against Romain's shoulder, and was talking to the kids for a bit now, while Romain got a bit lost in his thoughts. Maybe this was not quite the perfect timing for this, but he just needed a short break, and his family literally was the best place for this, no matter what. This was the place he could feel safe in, where he could just relax for a bit.

For a moment Marion got up and got the cookie box she has brought with her to Bahrain. Romain took another one out of the box. This was what home and Christmas time tasted like for him, exactly the same recipe they have been baking together for the past 12 years he and Marion have been together. This is what family was to him, always there, even if they actually were miles away.


	5. December 5th: Mulled Wine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> George did so well in qualy today I am so happy! Let's see what tommorow's race will bring.  
> Did anyone of you watch the F2 races tho? So much excitement going on there too!!

"I'm glad that you came", Lance got up from where he sat on a small blanket and greeted George with a hug. It was late at night already, and maybe they both should be sleeping already by now. But this was not possible for George, even of he tried. Too much adrenaline was still rushing through his veins and he couldn't stop that huge smile on his face. It has been a great day so far for him, even if the start has not been that good. He had to admit that he was not perfectly happy with his qualifying lap either, but some things couldn't be changed anymore. And just being this close to Valtteri over one lap in his very first race with the Mercedes team was an accomplishment already. He was pretty sure that not everyone would have been able to deliver like this, just 26 thousandth of a second away from pole position for the race the next day. Now all he needed to do was converting this good starting position into a podium or at least points tomorrow. If everything goes like planned.

It has not been going perfect at all for Lance though. In the end tenth was just all he could do in his racing Point and George was sure that Lance must be fuming. He always had a rather hard time with regular dry qualifyings compared to his teammates. Rain would be his time to shine though.

Together with Lance he sat down on the blanket again, staring at the reflection of the moon on the sea water. George still did not know why Lance has asked him to come here, but he knew that he would find out soon enough. His relationship with Lance has been a rather special one from the start. A few innocent kisses between trucks in the Formula 3 paddock have led to some less innocent things and now they somehow both have made it into F1.

And yet they were not serious, not official, nothing. It has never came across their minds much, and when it did, they both agreed that they should just be as professional as possible about all this. And making this a proper relationship would just give them more obstacles to fight against. And yet George sometimes felt as if he was needing more than what he got right now.

"How are you doing?", asked George, resting his hand on Lance's shoulder, and he could feel how warm Lance's skin was compared to his own, now that it got even colder and they both were just in their team shirts.

"I'm good. Happy with qualifying if this is what you are worried about. I'm just happy for you, too happy to even be mad at myself, even if I had a reason" Lance laughed and just this made George smile. Just knowing that Lance didn't beat himself up over this result like he might as well could have done every other day. He still needed that reassurance. George knew that the other man would never admit this, but some of those critics talking hurt Lance more than he wanted to show. But as long as he kept proving them wrong, there was nothing to worry about.

"George?", Lance asked for his attention before he turned his head and pressed a short kiss on the other man's cheek. George immediately turned around, looking up and down the beach if there was anyone who could have seen them.

It was pitch black outside, and not a single person could be seen. And still there was this bad feeling down in his stomach that they could never be careful enough. As soon as anyone caught them, both their careers could just as well be over, before they even really started.

Lance caught George's attention again when he got a small thermos out of the backpack he had with him. He opened it and poured some of the filling in the cap. Even in the silver shiver of the moon George could see the fine steam rising from the hot liquid, and the smell of spices and Christmas reached his nose. Immediately the smile on his face grew wider when Lance placed the hot mulled wine in his hands. Just the warmth of it was comforting in itself, with the smell of it just being a good add on. Did Lance know how much he loved mulled wine or was this just a good guess?

George took a sip and couldn't help but close his eyes and let out a small hum after he had taken another sip. It was warm and tasting like Christmas. Sure he shouldn't overdo it, since he had a car to drive tomorrow, but just a few sips wouldn't hurt anybody. And having this small surprise coming from Lance was a good thing, since he himself surely wouldn't have had the idea to get some mulled wine himself before a race. It might not be professional at all, but _sometimes_ you need a small reward for doing good.

And even if this race was held in the desert it got about as cold at night as it was warm during the day, and the warm drink helped to keep the last few shivers away from him, no matter how cold it would be around him. Also the fact that he had Lance directly by his side also helped to keep the cold away. The warmth radiating from the other man's skin was intense and almost as intoxicating as the wine he had in his hands.

Without any further thinking about it George let his head rest on Lances shoulder. He closed his eyes for another moment and just focused on his breathing. Meanwhile Lance let his arm rest around George's shoulder, pulling him a bit closer and giving him some more of that warmth he was needing. It was moments like these in which George remembered what he loved so much about the Canadian. Lance seemed to know what was on his mind all the time, and just gave him everything he needed when they were together.

Maybe that was one of the reasons why he sometimes imagined to have more than just this kind of friends with benefits situation they have been in for quite some time now. And while George knew that Lance will probably not share these feelings in this way, George tried to enjoy these moments they shared as good as he could. If Lance really wanted more between them he would not have been trying so hard to keep him out of most of his life.

Outside of racing and hooking up in the winter breaks some times they have never spent much time together, also to keep rumors and stuff low, but also just because they did not have a lot in common that they could share with each other. And yet they were drawn to each other, almost like magnets. There was something about Lance that made it impossible for George to look away or go for someone else. And Lance must feel the same way about him too. Otherwise this would have ended a long long time ago already, and their paths would have separated even before George had made it to Formula 1.

So all he could do now was sitting down here at the beach, sipping on the mulled wine Lance had got him, and at least pretend that this really was something deep. Sure it was a nice gesture, but then it was more than rare that this ever happened. No way to get used to this. It was time for George to try and get over this crush he must have developed and just enjoy the taste of Christmas on his lips instead of wondering about the taste of Lance.


	6. December 6th: Cutting Down A Tree

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you have some more Mark and Fernando, and hopefully that can somehow take some of the pain about todays race(s) away. There really is one single time we want a Mercedes to win and suddenly Merc go full Ferrari mode. Had to be peak 2020.
> 
> Still am more than happy about Checo and his first win in Formula 1 tho!! And Lance on the podium too!!

It really has snowed the previous night. Fernando could not believe his eyes when he looked out of the window this morning. And even better than that, the snow also hasn't melted away just after the sun has started to rise over the horizon. Instead the clouds decided to open up even more, and more small snowflakes fell down in the yard of their house.

Mark was still sleeping as usual while Fernando already started to prepare their breakfast. Putting some bread rolls in the oven and then Fernando started to crack open some eggs, and scramble them. He put them in the pan after he has fried a few strips of bacon and put on the coffee machine, which started to let the black gold run into it's coffeepot while Fernando gave the rest of the breakfast the finishing touches. Over the years both their routines have synchronized to the point that Mark got out of bed as soon as Fernando could switch off the stove and get the bread rolls out of the oven at exactly the right time. It all has been more than perfect for years now, and this really just made Fernando feel a bit bad about his decision to go back to Formula 1. But it was what he wanted, and he has had lots of talks about this with Mark before he put his signature under the contract.

Speaking of Mark, the Australian gave Fernando a good morning kiss, before taking the bread rolls out of his hands and placed them on the table before sitting down, so that Fernando just had to bring the coffeepot. Just like every other morning since they lived here.

  
  


Breakfast has been relatively quiet - after his time in racing was done Mark definitely has gotten more used to sleeping in and still being grumpy in the mornings - but as soon as they both cleaned up their kitchen they got their thick winter coats out, before Mark grabbed a saw from the garage and put it in the trunk.

With the snow still falling softly it was the perfect time to get their Christmas tree ready already. If you were asking Mark they could have a fake tree up all year and two more real ones in December, but Fernando still was not much of a fan. They just made a huge mess that someone had to clean. Especially if you got yours almost three weeks before Christmas, but on the other hand he knew that any more discussions about Mark and his Christmas trees made no more sense. They have discussed it often enough, without any new discoveries, no matter what had initially sparked their discussions.

Mark loved his Christmas trees, and that was just a fact and had to be accepted. If he had to be honest he would even say that Mark loved these trees more than he loved Fernando. So if he didn't want to be replaced by one of these green pokey monsters he had to just accept it. Also it was cute to see Mark still getting excited over the trees, despite living in Europe and having one every year for about two decades by now. Just seeing Mark enjoying himself while cutting down his own Christmas tree every year was one of the many things he loved so much. Just seeing the other one enjoy himself.

When they got out of the car at the farm they have been buying from for well over five years now, they were greeted by one of the usual employees. It was by far not the time to get that extra staff for the main season to work, with well over two weeks to go until Christmas. And yet they all already knew that Fernando and Mark would be some of their earliest costumers of the season. Without much talking Mark directly started walking through the paths in between the rows and rows of Christmas trees, looking at every single on throughout. He wanted to pick the best and prettiest one, just like all the other times. Fernando kept himself in the distance, not wanting to Marks first few attempts to find the perfect tree. Even though at first Mark would label at least 10 trees as the perfect one every time, and making one final decision was never easy.

Fernando had the measuring tape ready when Mark pointed at the first tree that has caught his eye. Even Fernando could see that it would be a great tree. The branches long and thick and the whole tree standing taller than both of them. Too tall for their living room though they realized after a small check. Mark pouted for a moment, but Fernando could ease his pain with a small kiss. And the disappointment would not last too long, since just moments later Mark's eyes were starting to light up again as soon as he saw another tree similar to the first one, but noticeably shorter. Even short enough for their living room. But before they committed to cutting down this one Mark wanted to have a look at everything else that was offered. So Fernando followed him through the farm, needing quite some big steps to keep up with his pace.

When they both were finally side by side Fernando grabbed Mark's hand, squeezing it softly. This really was one of both their favorite things to do to really get Christmas season started, and it never failed to disappoint.

And Fernando was right again, it was the best decision to not cut down the first tree Mark has laid his eyes on. On their walk Mark pointed at at least five more trees, but two of them also were a few inches too tall for their living room ceiling with no chance to cut it down and make it look good. And yet there still were four trees to choose from. To be fair they all looked mostly the same. All thick green branches, looking well kept and healthy, and they would look great with all their decorations, Fernando was sure of it.

In the end Mark made the decision to still go with the very first tree they have been looking at. After their stroll back to the tree they - as usual - had to try quite a bit to actually get it down. Especially since Mark wanted to be the one to cut it, and Fernando was almost two feet shorter than the tree he was supposed to hold upright. But no matter what, Mark didn't want to switch positions.

So this was how Fernando ended up with the branches of the tree right in his face while he tried his best to keep the tree upright. Meanwhile Mark was kneeling in the snow and was working on cutting it down with his saw that seemed to be way too small for it, even though it has already got them all their previous trees. Fernando gave another nervous glance to the watch on his wrist. It was barely past noon and he was already getting nervous. Just a few more hours until the next Formula 1 race in Bahrain would start.

Mark had agreed to do the tree cutting in the early afternoon so that they would have enough time to set it all up in time before the race start, and yet Fernando was questioning if they really have made the right timing. He had promised Carlos to watch every race before he left Formula 1 over two years ago. He wouldn't break this promise so close to the end of the season, and so close before he was back by the track himself, he was sure of this.

And indeed, Mark has made great progress in the minutes Fernando stared at his watch, and the tree was almost fully cut. Just a few more moves with the saw, and then they could go and load it into their car. After carrying it all the way to get there, of course. That would be one of the easier things to do though, or at least easier than actually fitting it in their trunk. It always worked so far with even bigger trees, but every time it was like an almost impossible game of Tetris, yet they were winning it.

The tree came down now, and Mark immediately started to pick it up and get back on their way to the car, with Fernando grabbing the tree near the top, following behind Mark. He was pretty sure that Mark has also already got all their Christmas decorations out of the box in the garage before they left, and that in just a few hours their house was looking like Santa's holiday home. Another thing Fernando would never be able to change about Mark.

Sure, he himself loved the holiday just as much as Mark did, but for him the focus has never been on the decorations, it has always been the family coming together that was the most important about it all. Sure, Mark cared about this too, but that has never stopped him from going all in with the decorations. And yet this was not to be changed. Mark has always been loving this kind of Christmas, and seeing Mark enjoy these things have made them a bit more tolerable for Fernando too. In the end those compromises were everything love was about.


	7. December 7th: Outfit discussions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is some more Lando and Carlos fluff for today, with a little mention of Fernando too!

"Please, Carlos?"

Usually Carlos could never resist when Lando was looking at him like this, but today he had to refuse. He did a lot of stuff for the younger one already, but this was just an absolute no. Not a single chance.

"And if you get a kiss when you do it?"

"I know that you will kiss me even if I don't wear this thing. So no. I will not put this on!", Carlos stood his ground, and Lando started to pout, and turned away from Carlos with his arms crossed over his chest. For a second he thought about just following through with this to make Lando happy, but he still had a little bit of dignity left, and Lando would not take that away from him. Not a single chance.

"But you know that I would wear it too. Please, Carlos. Please, please, please!" Lando would never stop until he really agreed to wear this. Just as Carlos made this realization Lando climbed into his lap and was looking up to him with big puppy eyes.

It was hard to resist them, Carlos had to admit. Just thinking about what Carlos had just shown him though... It made it easier to not get fooled by these innocent eyes this time. He had to stand his ground on this one. Lando already knew what buttons he had to push though, so that Carlos would listen to Lando's every wish. This was incredibly adorable and scary at the same time, with him basically being unable to resist the young Brit.

Over the past two years they spent as teammates Lando has made him do lots and lots of silly stuff, but it has never come to this level. He could just not bring himself to do it. As much as Lando was begging, he still had to be at least a little bit professional if they wanted to be taken serious by anyone. That was incredibly hard anyway already with all the joking they always did, and Carlos had to admit that this joking image might have hurt Lando with being taken serious by people.

On the other hand he has always has had this incredibly joyful and bubbly personality, ever since they met for the first time and it has always been authentic, and never was something Lando could just put on for the media if he wanted to. He wanted to see this man being happy, because that made him happy too. But this? What has he thought about when he wanted them to do this?

"Come here, my silly little muppet", mumbled Carlos and pulled Lando into a hug, before pressing a small kiss on his lips. This strategy seemed to work well for a bit. Lando immediately melted into the kiss and buried his hands in Carlos hair. The request seemed to be forgotten and Carlos was happy about the perfect kind of distraction he has found. And really, Lando did nothing else than just scratching his scalp and kissing him for a few moments.

But just when Carlos thought he was successful, they parted and Lando looked at him again with those big puppy eyes. "Does that mean you'll put it on?"

With the way Lando was looking right now, his curls even messier than usual, his lips a little swollen and his cheeks bright pink, it made it even harder for Carlos to say no, but what else was he supposed to do?

They were supposed to fly to Abu Dhabi with the team today and while sure, they always looked a little more casual when they were flying, but still. Even Lando had to see how this idea was not professional at all. He just could not bring himself to wear this ...thing.

"Carlos that is mean and you know it!" Lando was still not accepting this no, and this whole thing just got more and more ridiculous in Carlos' eyes. And yet he started to think about it. He wanted Lando to be happy like this, so why did he keep saying no? In the end they were both just with the team today anyway, keeping distanced in their bubbles. But deep down Carlos knew that if he really put this on, a picture of it would somehow end up on some social media.

Even if it did though, would it really hurt him? Maybe making Lando happy this one time really outweighed looking unprofessional in front of the team one time. It was his last race with McLaren before joining Ferrari the next season too, so they should be allowed to have a little fun one last time.

So Carlos agreed, and in that moment Lando started to jump up and down with joy, before grabbing the sweater that laid over the armrest of an armchair and handed it to Carlos, who put it on over his team shirt. It already felt way too warm for this kind of clothing, but it might really help with the A/C in the plane, that usually was a bit too cold for his liking. When Lando saw him in the sweater he pulled Carlos up from where he was sitting on the bed and pulled him over into the bathroom of their hotel room, in front of the huge mirror.

Lando was still quite a bit more cheerful than Carlos, but he was happy enough for both of them. His own reflection was staring back at Carlos, who still had a hard time believing that he actually did agree to this. Lando was wearing a dark blue sweater with a dog on it. That dog was wearing a red and white Christmas sweater himself, together with a Christmas hat. Over the dog it said "Santa Paws".

And if this was not bad enough yet, the sweater Carlos wore was green, and instead of the dog it featured a cat, wearing the same Christmas sweater and hat as the dog on Lando's pullover. And this cat apparently was called "Santa Claws". The two puns almost physically hurt Carlos, together with the general look of the sweaters it was hard for him to take.

If it wasn't for Lando he would not be doing this. Never ever. They both didn't even leave their hotel room yet and Carlos already feared what could await him outside, already feeling ridiculous. But after all he did this for Lando. And as long as it made Lando happy he would keep this thing on for the sake of it.

"We look great already!" Lando's eyes were shining brightly and he kissed Carlos on the cheek. "Thank you for doing this Carlos. And you know that you look stunning, right?"

Carlos nodded, before Lando ran back into their room. "Wait for a moment, I have something else too! Close your eyes!"

He did as Lando wished, and felt Lando putting something on his head when he came back into the bathroom. When Lando told him to open his eyes he did as he was told, just to see both their reflections wearing Christmas hats now, just like the animals on their sweaters.

"You really want us to go out like this?", asked Carlos, not believing what he just has witnessed.

"We have to get in the Christmas spirit already, don't we?" Lando raised one of his eyebrows, and then grinned widely.

"Okay okay. Just to get into the Christmas spirit then" Carlos let out a sigh of defeat before he got his phone out of his pocket, taking a photo of their reflections in the mirror.

Lando was happily running back into the main room again to check over their stuff one last time before they got to meet the rest of the team by the airport to catch their flight to Abu Dhabi. The last race of the season really came faster than they all expected. And yet this was the last time now that they all were going to a race like this.

Carlos swept the bit of sadness that overcame him away when he opened the WhatsApp chat he had with Fernando. The last picture the older one has sent him featured a huge Christmas tree that was almost drowning in glitter, fairy lights and decorations, next to a TV that showed the coverage of yesterday's race. "It has started" was all that Fernando had to say about this, together with a few laughing emojis.

"Where do we pick up these Christmas fanatics??" replied Carlos, while he sent the photo of him and Lando to Fernando.

He immediately was online, and the little checkmarks next to Carlos' messages turned blue, Fernando started typing.

"There's nothing you can do about it. Just accept your fate" Carlos sent a laughing emoji and the thumbs up back, before he put his phone away and got back to Lando, who was already waiting for him by the door.

Despite the mask Lando had on already Carlos could see the huge smile under it, and Carlos just had to smile too. Fernando must be right. All he could do about this was loving the way Lando loved Christmas, and looking fabulous in their matching sweaters together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the end, kudos and comments are the only reward I get for writing this, so please click on this little heart and leave me something down below <3


	8. December 8th: Birthday Surprises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy birthday to Marion <3
> 
> Also really sucks that Romain got his Instagram hacked :/

Romain was woken up by Simon standing next to his bed, pulling on the sleeve of the T-Shirt he slept in. Next to him stood his older brother. It took a bit for him to open his eyes, but he was fully up as soon as he realized who was standing there in front of him.

"Simon? Sacha? Everything okay?" Romain quickly looked on the numbers on the alarm clock next to his bed that were glowing in the dark. It was barely past seven in the morning. Usually Sacha and Simon slept longer or were entertaining themselves, watching a bit of TV. If they came to wake him up, something must have gone wrong, right? He sat up quickly, trying to not put any more pressure than necessary on his hands.

"We need your help. Can you come downstairs?", Sacha asked and looked down on the floor. It really was looking like they messed up big time. Romain's heart started to race and he got out of bed and followed the boys out of the room, trying his best not to wake Marion. The floor was ice cold against his bare feet, but he followed the two boys downstairs, where the light was burning already, while it still was pitch black outside.

"Please don't be mad at us. We promise that we will clean it all up" The bad feeling in Romain's stomach got worse when he realized which of the downstairs lights was burning. The kitchen one. In the dim light shining from there into the hallway he saw the Sacha had some stains on his shirt, and for a moment he was scared of what would await him if he stepped into this kitchen now, and saw the damage himself.

Thank God his worst fears did not come true. So far they have neither put on the stove nor the oven, and all that was out of the ordinary was the chair next to the fridge and the smashed egg on the floor. That might also explain the stain on Sacha's shirt. Looking in this light it probably was just some dried egg white.

"What did you try to do in here? And you know the rules about you climbing on the chairs, right?", A ton of weight fell from Romain's shoulders once he realized that the egg on the floor seemed to be all that got broken during this. He grabbed a paper towel and tried to wipe off as much of the egg as he could. That was not much though. It has dried quite a bit since it smashed, someone needed to wipe that floor properly later.

"You know that mom loves pancakes! We wanted to surprise you two with breakfast. And climbing on the chair was Sacha's idea. I cannot carry them!", explained Simon, making another vague gesture towards the other things on the worktop. Their box with flour and the recipe book from one of the shelves laid there, next to the pack of sugar.

"That's unfair! We just did this because you forget to get another present for mom!" Sacha was now angrily staring at his younger brother with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

As much as Romain wanted to be mad at them both for using the kitchen and trying to make pancakes on their own, he couldn't. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't hide his smile looking through the kitchen. Some cleaning might be necessary, but it was the gesture that counted.

"Hey you two!", Romain tried his best to stop the discussion that had started already, "If you want to surprise mom you need to be quiet if you don't want to wake her up. You two stay here while I get dressed and am back to help."

The boys nodded and have stopped arguing with each other indeed. They should stay like that until he was back. "And no climbing on the chairs", Romain reminded them before getting back into his and Marion's bedroom. He was as quiet as possible when he took some clothes, and just put them out in the bathroom opposite to their bedroom door.

Romain's hands were still not working perfectly with the bandages on, but he managed to get dressed himself, even if he switched the buttoned jeans for some sweatpants. Back in the kitchen he got his and the boy's aprons from the hooks on the door and told them to put them on, even if it was Sacha who had to tie the ties for all three of them.

Then Romain got their attention onto the recipe and ingredients that were listed on it. He got everything up in the fridge that was too hard for Sacha and Simon to reach, while Simon got a bowl from one of their drawers. None of the boys wanted to crack the eggs, but Romain was struggling to do it with his bandages on, even if he tried. So he asked Sacha to try it again, despite it being his last attempt that had left one of the eggs smashed on the floor.

This next try under Romain's eyes though went a lot better already. There were still a few tiny pieces of eggshell in the bowl too, but Sacha did as well as he could. Meanwhile he has asked Simon to weigh the flour. After that everything else that was needed was some baking powder, sugar, salt and milk. The batter was creamy and silky, just perfect.

The next step on their to do list though, actually baking the pancakes, would be a lot more difficult. Romain did not feel very confident to let either Simon or Sacha use the stove on their own yet, but on the other hands side he himself might have some troubles to make it a safe experience too, with the bandages still limiting his mobility by quite a bit, even if he actually knew how to handle all this. And a pan full of hot liquid butter also did not feel like his favorite thing to hold in his hands right now, with some red marks still clearly visible, even on the skin that wasn't covered by bandages anymore.

After some more deciding and thinking about the right or wrong options he just chose to go with their waffle maker instead of the pan. It might be quite a bit more work to clean it compared to the pan, but it was safe and easy to use for all of them. Sacha allowed his younger brother to be the first one to pour some of the batter on the hot irons, before closing it. Soon the kitchen started to smell like pancakes, and deep down Romain already felt how his stomach was starting to tremble already, even though it would still take a few more minutes to get all their pancake waffles done. He was growing more hungry with every passing second. Maybe also because having breakfast meant that he had a few minutes to spare before he had to clean the kitchen.

There still was the dried egg on the floor, and a few splatters of pancake batter on the worktop. It should not take too long though, especially if he asked Sacha and Simon for help. All these thoughts of his were interrupted though when he heard some more footsteps near the kitchen door, and it was Camille walking in. Still barefoot and in her pajamas, still tired and rubbing her eyes. Romain quickly picked her up, while Sacha announced that the last pancakes were done.

They were added to the huge batch they already had one one of the big plates, and Sacha pulled the plug of the waffle maker out of the socket. Meanwhile Simon got a tray out of another cabinet, and Romain got everything out of the high shelves in the fridge for them once again. Maple syrup, whipped cream, marmalade and the glass of apple sauce. Simon grabbed the Nutella jar from one of the lower drawers himself and put it on the tray too, beside some plates and cutlery.

Now all he had to arrange was getting all of that upstairs to Marion, like the boys wanted for some breakfast in bed. In the end Sacha carried the plates and cutlery, Romain got the tray with their batch of pancakes and toppings, and Simon took Camille by the hand. The tray was not the easiest to carry, but he could do this for just the few steps.

Overall he really felt a lot better after his crash already, and he felt the strength coming back to his hands with every passing day. He might still be stuck with those bandages for some more time though, but even they got lighter with every change. And in the end he had the whole winter break to recover from it, and make choices about where and even if he should keep racing somewhere the next year. Maybe he should rather just stay with his family for some time, and take care of them. Sure, he loved racing, but he still loved his family even more than that.

Family first, thoughts about racing second. Especially on days like theses, where all his focus should lay on the woman he loved the most, and whose birthday it was.

Simon opened the door to their bedroom now, where Marion was already being up, sitting against the headrest of the bed and reading in a book. Romain was pretty sure that she must have woken up either from Sacha and Simon waking up Romain, or from the noise they tried not to make while making pancakes. And yet she must have got what was going on and just waited for them to come back upstairs. Romain put down the tray on the bedside table, before he just grabbed it again when they all found a comfortable spot on the bed.

Simon put a way too thick layer of nutella on his waffle maker baked pancake as soon as he had a chance to, while Romain ripped his in four small pieces and put some apple sauce one of them before handing it to Camille.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart", Romain mumbled before giving Marion a kiss on the cheek.

The kids were all busy with eating their breakfast, so Romain kissed Marion another time, before they both started eating too, both of them too hungry to ignore the delicious smell in front of them for much longer.

Once again Romain was looking down on his bandages. He was not supposed to be home today. He was supposed to be in Abu Dhabi and prepare for his last race in Formula 1, but it all came differently. But when he was looking at his small family like this, maybe this was the way things were supposed to be.


	9. December 9th: Chocolate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that I did not update this for a few days.
> 
> To be fair everything that has happened around Nikita Mazepin has affected my mental health a bit, and I just needed a small break for some time, and the fact that this whole Advent Calendar was an idea I did not think through properly and have no real outline for did not make it easier to just continue writing when all that happened.
> 
> I am in the middle of catching up with my writing now, and hope that I can upload the missing chapters as soon as possible, when I am really happy with them.
> 
> I hope you enjoy Chapter 9, even if it is a little late. Thank you for your patience <3

"You are acting as if the world will end tomorrow", commented Mark while Fernando pushed their shopping cart through the aisles, filling it up with everything that can be stored for a while. Canned vegetables, rice, packs of powdered soup, everything.

It probably was a good idea to keep some things at home in case the restrictions got worse, but this kind of preparation did not seem to be that necessary in Mark's eyes, especially when neither of them was a particularly huge fan of canned ravioli anyway. Was there even a reason for buying them then, except Mark wanting to be prepared for the worst, whatever that might mean.

They have always have had a good stock of items that were easy to store at home, but ever since February Mark has been overly cautious, and never let anything go low, no matter what it was. But to be fair, they would probably finish their ten packs of spaghetti until the best by date somewhere in 2023.

Suddenly Fernando stopped, and pulled Mark by the sleeve, which made him come to a halt. "Querido?", he asked, trying his best to do some puppy eyes, and failed as he usually did. "Can we get some chocolate?"

"You know that we still have chocolate at home, enough of that?" This was the Mark that always cared a little bit too much about their optimal health, even if his racing career was over for quite some time, it was always him being the one more focused on the right nutrition.

Fernando might listen to Mark a little bit more in this aspect if he wanted to be back in the car in a few months himself, but on the other hand, it was Christmas now and no one would take his Christmas chocolates away from him.

If there was one thing he always loved it was some good chocolate, especially in winter when everything was cold outside and you were cuddled up under a warm blanket. A tiny piece of chocolate made that all a lot better. In his case rather a whole bar though, but so far the scale hasn't shown him any bad surprises, so where was the issue with it?

"Please?" Once again Fernando was looking up at Mark, and it was still hard to read the other man's expression, even after such a long time together. Sometimes Mark was lilke an open book for him, but some other times he just was lilke a piece of rock, and it was unable to see what was really going on in his mind.

In the end the whole discussion did not even lead to something. If Fernando wanted to he could just take his own money and buy as much chocolate as he wanted to, but then it would still feel wrong to not at least talk to Mark about it. With all the things they got together in the past few years it would feel weird to buy something without talking to Mark about it, no matter what.

They really have been gettine a lot closer basically ever since they started seeing each other, and it felt like an eternity already. And yet there were still things they could not agree on. Mainly Christmas decorations and whether or not two bars of Chocolate counted as a proper meal. Fernando said yes, in terms of calories, while Mark had to gag just thingkingh about eating that much chocolate.

After a short back and forth in the aisle Mark just let out a sigh and let Fernando put three bars of Chocolate into the cart. Just as a stock in case they needed to stay inside for some time of course.

When they passed the wine section of the store Mark took a closer look at what they had to offer, while Fernando already got some fresh fruit and vegetables. When he came back to where Mark was standing he had two bottles in his hands.

The label said that one of them was from Spain, the other one was apparently Australian.

"Wine for later?", Mark asked and earned a nod from Fernando in response.

***

Not that much later they both were back home, and Fernando made some coffee while Mark put the groceries away, and updated the stock list they had for certain stuff and seemed to be happy with himself, and the time that these stocks should feed them.

Mark came into the living room right when Fernando carried the two coffee mugs to the small table in front of the sofa. But before Fernando sat down next to Mark he got another bar of chocolate out of the cabinet they kept their snacks in. After spending quite a bit time in the cold outside he has deserved his coffee and the chocolate.

As Mark took a first sip of his coffee Fernando broke a row off of the chocolate, and ate it piece by piece. The soft taste was melting on his tongue, and he closed his eyes for a moment to focus on the sweet sensation.

He already felt Mark's gaze on him as he took another piece of chocolate, and downed it with some more coffee. This was exactly what he loved about winter. Hot drinks and chocolate with your best friend and lover by your side. Was there anything better?

There was. Mark has put his mug back on the table and then pulled Fernando on his lap, kissing first his temple and then his cheeks, while his hand slowly rubbed over Fernando's back.

It did not take too long until Mark has kissed his way down to Fernando's lips, carefully pushing his tongue against his lover's lips. Fernando did as Mark wished, and just moments later their kiss got deeper.

Fernando smiled into the kiss, and then Mark pulled back, and stared into his eyes. It was moments like these where they both were still blown away by the fact they actually were dating each other, a dream that has come true for both of them.

"Sometimes I still do like the taste of chocolate," mumbled Mark, before kissing Fernando's lips again.


	10. December 10th: Happy Chanukkah

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey,
> 
> I am sorry that the last update took so long again. I don't know what I did to end up in this weird kind of writing block for this story, but it really is hard to get my notes down on paper right now.  
> It just really does not feel like any kind of Christmas right now, which makes it hard to get in the proper mood for this kind of thing.  
> I doubt that I manage to catch up on this until Christmas, considering how far behind the schedule I am right now, but I will finish this no matter what, because they all deserve a happy ending.
> 
> Also, considering this chapter I want to add that I myself am not Jewish, and everything I wrote in here is based on other people's experiences and talks I read online. If I made some mistakes in the way I have been describing Hanukkah here, please feel comfortable to reach out to me and correct me.
> 
> In addition to this, I wish all of you celebrating a happy Hanukkah, and hope that you got to spend some time with the people you are close to.

When Lance heard a knock on the door of his hotel room he opened it immediately. As expected, George stood in front of it, coming in as soon as Lance stepped aside. His room was a little messy already, with all kinds of clothes laying around his suitcase that laid open on the bed.

"I was looking for the charger of my iPad," Lance explained before trying his best to push everything back in and close the suitcase again. It did not really work, but at least Lance now was able to put it under the bed again, before offering George to sit down on the bed.

"I thought we maybe could have a nice evening together?" George leaned over to Lance and tried to press a kiss on the other man's cheek, but Lance pushed George away for a moment, and plugged the charger into his iPad.

"Nice evening sure, but I don't know if you're up for my kind of nice evening," Lance mumbled. "I wanted to video call my family. I mean I would prefer to visit them now, but that's kind of tricky, isn't it?"

"Oh if you want me to go then..." George already was halfway back out of the door, before Lance could even say something.

"Wait!" George's hand was on the door handle already, but the Brit hesitated immediately and looked at his friend. "Can you maybe stay here? It's my very first Hanukkah without being with my family, and this whole thing sucks a little. Maybe you want to keep me some company?"

George nodded, and slowly walked back over to Lance.

"May I?" It was just when Lance nodded that George pulled him into a close hug, squeezing Lance a little tighter than usual. Sometimes you could forget that he was one of the youngest drivers on the grid.

George was glad that he would be home with his family on Christmas and be able to celebrate with them, and could not imagine what Lance must be feeling like right now.

Lance was looking on the clock another time, before he started the video call on his iPad. It took a bit to connect them, but sure enough Lance's sister was waving at the screen, a huge smile on her face.

  
  


George squeezed Lance's hand where the camera could not catch it, while Lance waved at everyone who was at home. Even his father has flown home already, and was waving back at them.

  
  


It was just then when Lance turned his iPad around and George gave the camera an awkward wave. Apart from Lance's parents and his sister he knew no one on the other side of the screen, and they probably did not know him either.

  
  


He tried to keep himself in the background, while Lance caught up with some of his relatives. After a bit Lance was placed on a few pillows on the sofa, so that everyone who wanted to talk to him could just sit down and have his face on the iPad right on their eye level too.

  
  


But after a few more minutes most of the catch up small talk was done, and it was time to light up the first candle, and after that his family got ready to eat, after a bit more talking to his sister Lance ended the call and laid his head down in George's lap.

  
  


"I miss my mom's food," he mumbled. George did not say much, but just stroked his hair softly. He did not really know what to do either, but he just wanted to make Lance feel better.

  
  


"But Hanukkah lasts for eight days, right? So you can be with them once this race is done, right?" George felt helpless. He did not know if what he was saying right now really was the right thing, or if he made it all just worse with his comments.

  
  


"Yes but.. They all are together now. And I am not there. I miss them all"

  
  


George could not remember that Lance has ever been so open with him, and has shown himself so vulnerable around anyone. He just kept stroking Lance's hair, and tried to think about something he could say.

  
  


"Do you want to talk about how you usually celebrate? Or would that make it worse?" George was looking down on Lance, whose head still laid in his lap, just to realize that a few tears were running down his face. But he shook his head and smiled a little.

  
  


"It's just that the first night of Hanukkah is always a little bit special. Because we don't see our family from Canada that often but even they fly to Switzerland to celebrate. And my mom is making all kind of good foods. You have to try her sufganiyot, they are so so good. And then we just sing, and eat, and celebrate. It really is one of my favorite times of the year," Lance explained and his eyes started to shine a bit brighter. This time of excitement instead of tears.

  
  


“And then we usually play…” Lance hesitated for a moment, and seemed to be lost in his thoughts. George smiled a bit at Lance, who suddenly jumped up: "Wait, I totally forgot about this! But I can show you something"

  
  


He pulled his suit case out of under the bed again and looked through the side pockets, and took out a spinning top and a pack of small chocolate bars, and looked for a flat surface. There really was not much of a table or anything else to spin it on, and so George sat down on the floor with Lance.

  
  


"This really usually is a kids' game, but I'm sure I can explain it to you, right?" Lance gave George a wide smile, and the tears that he cried just a few minutes ago seemed long forgotten.

  
  


"So basically, the chocolates are gonna be the thing we battle for. You get half, I get half, before the game starts. Then this is the dreidel," Lance held up the spinning top and showed George all four sides, "Depending on which side is facing up when you spin it you either have to put something into the jackpot in the middle, get half of it, get everything in it, or get nothing at all. The game usually ends when either all tokens are gone or we get bored of the whole thing. Never played with just two players before but I bet it'll be fun. I used to play this all the time with my sister and my cousins"

  
  


Lance was still grinning when he divided the chocolate between them, and spun the dreidel for the first time after they both put one chocolate in the middle. Lance took one, then handed the dreidel to George, who spun it now too. Then he gave the letter that landed on top a confused look.

  
  


"So this is a Shin", Lance explained the Hebrew letter, "You have to put another one in."

  
  


George did as he was told, and when Lance spun a Gimel he took the other two chocolates from the middle too. Then they both added another chocolate to the middle, and it was George's turn again.

  
  


He really got a hang of this after just a few rounds. The rules were quite easy to remember, and Lance seemed to enjoy himself playing it, and that made it all easier for George too. Maybe he still had this weird crush on the Canadian, but even after these events he still was sure that Lance would never return his feelings, no matter what.

  
  


Any friend would be doing what George was doing right now. Sure, he - who didn't remember that Hanukkah had started - came here with other kinds of plans for the evening, but after all they both still were friends first, whatever else was going on between them second.

  
  


And maybe he should just not give up all his hopes on a happy ending with Lace yet. Maybe fate could just help him out for a moment, maybe he could have his chance to really be with him then.

  
  


But even just sitting on the floor of yet another hotel they went to this year and playing this game with Lance was one of the best things that have happened to him in the past few weeks. When he just looked at the wide grin that was back on Lance's face, and how relaxed he felt himself now, George felt a bit more positive about the upcoming weekend.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, comments and kudos are the only kind of reward I am getting on here, so please leave some down below <3


End file.
